Lovely aftermarket parts

zzyzzx said:
The guy at NAPA was impressed when I brought in an 11 year old receipt, and even showed it off to his co-workers and manager. I might have set a store record there, or something. I'm specifically referring to one of the retail locations that's attached to a main NAPA distribution center (the one on Laurel, MD). This is the store that replaced the small store that used to be on Main Street in downtown Laurel. I first had to figure out that the store had moved.
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Cool, I go to the one in College Park all the time. They had two lower control arms for my sister’s highlander. Only place around that had a power steering fluid pressure sensor for it when I accidentally broke the pigtail off the old one when changing rear bank valve cover gasket.
 
Number_35 said:
Agreed - I suppose the rationale is something like 'This part is for a 13-year-old car. Surely it doesn't need to be as good as the original, which went 13 years. How about engineering it to last five years? By that time the car will likely be off the road.
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I recently ‘adopted’ (helping a neighbor out) a 2001 RAV4 that has a lot of deferred maintenance. I started scouring this forum for advice on when to use aftermarket vs. Toyota parts.

The price delta between for example Toyota’s brake shoes and RockAuto’s Daily Driver Bosch shoes is something like 5x. Definitely hard to justify OEM on some items.

OTOH, I think the PCV valve and thermostat are both stuck. The Toyota version is $20 more for both. Maybe it’s worth for the piece of mind that the Toyota version is less likely to come DOA or fail in months rather than decades?
 
From my experience... I have never had an issue with most OEM parts from most manufacturers. OEM has never wasted my efforts. Yes. if a OEM part that was installed on a new vehicle lasted 13 years or 100000 Miles say. you can almost always know, IF its installed correctly it will last the same amount of time. Emission component and engine control parts OEM or OEM manufacturer. Some times OEM is almost the same price as the OEM manufacturer.

an example... My wifes Subaru brake lasted 80,000 miles were quiet and smooth. She like the way it felt and were familier with there characteristics. I paid 25% more for them as they are excellent quality and included everything I needed in the kit. I have used aftermarket for her before and they were differant, thus she insisted OEM. OEM can be had for a decent cost on places like ebay and amazon. 25.00 pads wont work as well or last as long IM Experience and IMO. Years ago when I owned a Toyota I always used OEM pads and shoes. wasn never disappointed with performance or longivity. They were twice as much. Akebono or advics usually make them for toyota to their standard. Yes one can purchase them by this name elseware They are almost the same cost.

Used parts are a good choice and can be had for almost nothing. Is it worth the hassle if they are defective? 1/2 worn out, On a used vehicle perhaps but then again in the used part OEM or aftermarket. Some aftermarket parts are bad out of the box because they are being made to a differant standard. I touched on Characteristics of parts and I just want to say it can make or brake the comfort of a vehicle. Depending
 
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newoilguy1 said:
I recently ‘adopted’ (helping a neighbor out) a 2001 RAV4 that has a lot of deferred maintenance. I started scouring this forum for advice on when to use aftermarket vs. Toyota parts.

The price delta between for example Toyota’s brake shoes and RockAuto’s Daily Driver Bosch shoes is something like 5x. Definitely hard to justify OEM on some items.

OTOH, I think the PCV valve and thermostat are both stuck. The Toyota version is $20 more for both. Maybe it’s worth for the piece of mind that the Toyota version is less likely to come DOA or fail in months rather than decades?
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Thermostats are one thing where it's almost always better to go with a factory part.
 
newoilguy1 said:
OTOH, I think the PCV valve and thermostat are both stuck. The Toyota version is $20 more for both. Maybe it’s worth for the piece of mind that the Toyota version is less likely to come DOA or fail in months rather than decades?
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You want the AISIN or Toyota thermostat just to avoid the Motorad that's going to be locally and widely available.
 
PontiacHO said:
It takes extra time and effort but I’ve personally asked a dealership parts counter person if they would price match aftermarket parts and they did. Specifically 8 coil packs for my son’s F150. It wasn’t a hard job but one I don’t want to do again because of cheap aftermarket parts.
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Depends if there is a problem with the oem going the distance, I would have no problem pulling good used parts.
 
Recently, my neighbor, who's an excellent carpenter but not a mechanic asked me to look at his Ram pickup. It was throwing an oil pressure code. It sounded fine so I surmised this sender on the front of the engine had failed. I had always had good luck with Autozone Duralast parts so I had him pick one up, we replaced it and all was well for one day. He went to the dealer and got a factory part. Been fine since.
 
NYEngineer said:
Recently, my neighbor, who's an excellent carpenter but not a mechanic asked me to look at his Ram pickup. It was throwing an oil pressure code. It sounded fine so I surmised this sender on the front of the engine had failed. I had always had good luck with Autozone Duralast parts so I had him pick one up, we replaced it and all was well for one day. He went to the dealer and got a factory part. Been fine since.
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Pin this
 
zzyzzx said:
If you read the comments on that video, Denso was getting roasted. Plus as per Denso's website, they don't even bother replacing bearings on their rebuilt alternators.
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I don't know what your experience with Denso is but you've brought this point up again and again. I disagree with your statement from my interpretation of their literature. I'll take a Denso new or reman over almost anything else and my experience with their gear has been stellar.
 
dfarr67 said:
I don't know what your experience with Denso is but you've brought this point up again and again.
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My personal experience is that their stuff is nothing special. Pretty much AC Delco quality and Motorcraft is better. But that's just my experience. Denso stuff put in non-Toyota applications (like a Dodge) and it's mediocre. Put Denso in a Toyota and it works great. That type of thing makes me wonder about them.

From their website:
https://www.densoautoparts.com/alternators/
Bearings are validated to OE standards and loaded with premium OE-standard lubricants - Which means that they aren't necessarily replacing the bearings.
Rotor slip rings are buffed to an 8 micron surface finish - Also these can be replaces with new

That doesn't look like a premium product to me. It looks like someone making the cheapest product that they can and hoping that their brand name will sell the product.

For comparison purposes:
https://www.gmparts.com/parts/alternators-starters

REMANUFACTURED ALTERNATORS AND STARTERS​

Our automotive alternators and starters are remanufactured using consistent quality processes, not just rebuilt. ACDelco Gold Remanufactured Starters and Alternators are a high-quality alternative to OE parts. These GM-backed parts are manufactured to meet expectations for GM fit, form and function, making them a smart choice for GM vehicles, as well as many other makes and models.


All remanufactured starters feature 100% new bearings, solenoid contacts, bushings and brushes, and all remanufactured alternators come with new 100% new brushes and bearings.

I'd say that the Delco one is better then the Denso one. I wish I could find the same info for other companies.

I would consider a Denso O2 sensor used in any vehicle to be a good product, but those are new and usually made in USA. Again, just my experience. Not a mechanic.
 
To beat a dead subjet. We have a 2008 subaru with 195000 miles. original starter and alternator. I was going to replace the brushes a few years ago in the starter and alternator and they were only 1/2 used up. That being said, I am not a fan of reused wearable parts. Bearings and brushes contacts, things like that. Wear rings, other electrical components, ok they test fine, perhaps reuse them. New is all new. OEM is just like it had from the factory, by to their (OEM) specification. Will aftermarket Denso be the same as OEM Denso is anyones guess. I would gamble, not exactly. I would anticipate a manufacturer would say I want this starter to last 100000 cycles. Another may say 50000 cycles.
Someone mentoned dodge OEM. Years and Years ago their OEM was not of good quality. From what I have seen and heard they may still not be the same as say Subaru OEM quaility which is exceptional. What makes a starter ( keeping the same example) a 100000 cycle device is anyones guess. Is it more expensive? Again I would wager it is!
 
 
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Around 1999 I bought a Bosch alternator for our '85 Mazda 626. It came with a 5-year warranty.

It died after about 3-1/2 years, and Canadian Tire replaced it (that is, gave me a new one for me to install) at no cost.

Not long after, I noticed that they had dropped the warranty to 3 years. Hmmm ...

But it's moot now, as I've since found a good local rebuilder.
 
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